At ‘Home’ in London

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. One reason for this is the many free museums open to all. 

I generally scheduled a ‘Free Day’ during my London adventures. No, this isn’t a day where I simply lay around doing nothing. This day is when I visit as many ‘Free’ museums and historic places as possible. 

The Museum of the Home was the choice for Birthday Adventure 2023.

I learned about this unique museum via the Visit A City app. Figured it was worth two hours of my day, so hopped on the #26 bus from Fetter Lane and journeyed to Hoxton Station on Geffrye Street. 

The museum opened in 1914 as a museum of furniture and woodwork. It was renamed Museum of the Home in 2019, with the mission to reveal and rethink the ways people live, in order to live better together.

The museum is housed in almshouses built in 1714. During my visit, I learned almshouses were charitable housing provided to people in need, who belong to a particular community. In the museum’s case, the residents were associated with the Ironmongers’ Company. 

The Museum of the Home holds a collection of objects illustrating English domestic life and homes. The collection is massive and includes information about everything from wallpaper and pets, domestic technology, regional and cultural differences in furniture, home lighting, to reading and writing at home, and how homes were heated. 

My exploration began with home life in the 1600. The highlight here for me was the different lighting exhibit. Here, you can see how different light sources affected a room’s ambience. Starting with candlelight, then lanterns, to electric lights, the different sources affected not just the room, but my overall mood. I felt differently with each light source. 

Yes, I learned that modern lighting is best for my mood. 

Table Talk

Table Talk was another interesting exhibit. The museum invites visitors to take a seat at the kitchen table and tell them what ‘home’ means to you. Visitors can can leave their thoughts pinned to the fridge or use a token to share their opinions.

I got to play Super Mario Kart on the Super NES following ‘Table Talk.’

Funny, same thing happened during my childhood. Could only play video games after family dinner, and only if my homework was completed.

Rooms Through Time

This exhibit showcases some of the ways in which homes and home life evolved over the past 400 years. I absolutely loved this section of the museum. 

My favorites were the 1937 living room, 1976 front room and the 1998 loft-style apartment. 

The 1937 living room highlighted how convenience became a key feature in newly-built flats. The flats featured the latest modern conveniences like central heating, washer/dryer and maid service.

The 1976 front room details the experience of African-Caribbean home life in the UK in the mid-20th century. I particularly enjoyed the detailed work recreating the teenagers room/area, complete with a radiogram.

The 1998 loft-style apartment showcased how former industrial and commercial buildings were converted into residential units. Flexibility and space were a key feature of loft apartments. This exhibit showed how the open-plan design made the apartment  ideal for entertaining guests as the kitchen, living and dining areas all in one space.

Geffrye Almshouse Chapel

Faith was another key area the museum focused on throughout my exploration. For many, home is a place to pray, to celebrate, and express our religious identity. Growing up in a Baptist household, this is certainly true. There was no room in my parents’ home that did not feature some religious artifact.

The museum features the original 18th-century chapel almshouse chapel  — a dazzling, high-ceiling space complete with wooden pews and pulpit. I learned that Almshouse residents were obliged to attend services here each week. 

Real Rooms Project

The Museum is currently working on the Real Rooms project. The aim of this project centers on highlighting the more diverse array of narratives and let the communities we are representing tell us how they think their histories should be told. The new period rooms will centre on personal stories, and help continue to showcase how our homes continue to evolve. 

Final Thoughts

The wealth of information and knowledge I gained during my visit was phenomenal. The museum does a remarkable job of showing how the concept of home and family have changed over the centuries, including how the roles of women and men have altered over time.

The Museum of the Home is one of the most delightful and entertaining museums I have ever visited. The fact that entrance is free makes it even more worthwhile.

This is truly a museum you should add to your “Must Visit.” list. Avoiding it would be a travesty.